Mexico fully deserved Portugal point, says Osorio

Mexico fully deserved a share of the spoils against Portugal as a reward for taking the game to the European champions, head coach Juan Carlos Osorio has said.

Hector Moreno’s late header secured a 2-2 draw in Kazan on Saturday in the teams’ opening Group A encounter at the Confederations Cup.

Mexico started the better side but were undone when Cristiano Ronaldo set up Ricardo Quaresma to break the deadlock, and it looked as though Javier Hernandez’s header would not be enough for a point as Cedric Soares’ deflected strike restored Portugal’s advantage.

However, Osorio felt his side would have been hard done by had Moreno not netted from a corner in second-half injury time.

“We had almost 60 per cent of the possession. It’s deserved and what Mexico have done deserves praise, to go toe-to-toe with the champions of Europe,” he said.

“We played against a team of a high level. There are a lot of things to improve. We lacked a little bit of efficiency.”

Mexican fans were in fine voice in the Kazan Arena and Osorio was delighted with the welcome his players received.

“I think that, when football people enjoy the way we play, especially against a team like the one we faced, it’s very positive,” he said.

“The Kazan Arena is amazing. There was a great atmosphere, we felt very close to the fans and the pitch was really perfect. We’re very happy with this first game.”